Friday, 26 June 2009

Michael Jackson has died after suffering a heart attack, according to a US website.

It was reported that he was rushed in an ambulance to a hospital in Los Angeles after he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home.

When paramedics arrived Michael had no pulse and they were unable to revive him.

However, there was no official confirmation of the reported death and spokespersons for Michael could not be reached for comment.

His passing will be mourned by millions of his fans around the world and a huge blow, especially those who had managed to get tickets to watch his much-anticipated concert - his curtain call, as he termed it – in the UK scheduled for next month.

Michael hadn't performed any major concerts since 2001.

Aljazeera has the story below.

Pop singer Michael Jackson has died after suffering a heart attack, a US website has said.

Paramedics were unable to revive Jackson after receiving a call to his home in Los Angeles on Thursday, TMZ.com, a celebrity news website, said.

"We've just learned Michael Jackson has died ... Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him," TMZ reported.

"We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back," the report said.

There was no official confirmation of the reported death and spokespersons for Jackson could not be reached for comment.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department had earlier told The Los Angeles Times that paramedics responded to a call from an address corresponding to Jackson's at 12.21pm (2021 GMT).

Officials at the UCLA hospital, where Jackson is believed to have been taken, were not immediately available for comment. - Al Jazeera

Thursday, 25 June 2009

The Barisan Nasional(BN) which refused to contest in the Penanti by-election last month, is expected to name its candidate for the upcoming Manik Urai by-election next month in Kelantan on Sunday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is Umno president, told reporters after chairing the party supreme council meeting in Kuala Lumpur last night, that the candidate would be announced by deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The state seat fell vacant after PAS assemblyman Ismail Yaacob died last month. PAS plans to announce its candidate tomorrow.

Manik Urai is the seventh by-election since the general election in March last year and the fifth since Datuk Seri Najib was sworn in as Prime Minister in April. BN won only one - the Batang Ai state seat in Sarawak - of the five by-elections it contested.

The Election Commission (EC) has set July 6 as nomination day and July 14 for polling.

Monday, 15 June 2009

PAS's Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was kicked out of the Dewan Rakyat minutes after he took his oath as the new MP for Bukit Gantang.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia ordered him out when he put on a black headband bearing the words "bubar DUN" (Dissolve state assembly).

Six other opposition Pakatan Rakyat MPs who followed suit by donning the headband were also ordered out of the House by the Speaker for "rude behavior" and all seven of them were subsequently suspended for two days.

Visitors at the public gallery, believed to be Nizar's supporters, were seen putting on the headband amidst shouts of "Bubar, bubar”.

Seven Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians, including newly sworn-in Bukit Gantang MP Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, were ordered out of the Dewan Rakyat this morning over their call for the Perak state assembly to be dissolved.

Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia ordered the five to leave the chambers for 'rude' behaviour and subsequently suspended them for two days.

"I didn't set a definite suspension time but according to the Standing Order, they cannot be suspended for more than 10 days. So (I am suspending them) for two days" said the speaker, explaining that his decision was also based on their violation of the dress code.

He said this does not allow for headbands to be worn, pointing out that Parliament "is not a market".

Pandikar also reminded MPs not to disrupt the proceedings and to be dignified, noting that "24 minutes were wasted (this morning) for nothing".

Nga and Ngeh were also wearing headbands with the words ‘Bubar DUN'(Dissolve the State Assembly) in the House.

This was a reference to the political chaos in Perak, following the collapse of the state government in circumstances that are still being widely disputed. Nizar was the menteri besar at the time.

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (picture right) who quit the cabinet and was subsequently sacked from Umno last year, has joined opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who made the announcement at the PKR extraordinary congress in Bangi Saturday afternoon said that Datuk Zaid’s decision will help boost the party because “he is known for his bravery in defending human rights and the independence of judiciary".

He also said that Datuk Zaid has a good relationship with DAP and PAS and his decision to join PKR it will help strengthen Pakatan Rakyat.

Datuk Zaid’s role in the opposition coalition will be discussed at the Pakatan Rakyat leadership meeting to be held the Monday after next.

“With his experience and leadership, he can help strengthen the Pakatan secretariat,” Datuk Seri Anwar said.

Datuk Zaid, who was present, said that he hoped to contribute to the party.

"I’m confident in the party's cause... I believe I have an opportunity to assist Anwar and PKR.”

He added that his personal views are in tune with PKR - a party which he described as “multiracial” and “fights for the rights of the Malaysian people”.

“I am ready to help Pakatan become an alternative and viable government that the people can rely on.” said Datuk Zaid. Malaysiakini.

Tuesday, 9 June 2009

All Malaysian students overseas who wish to return home for the summer holiday are advised to delay their return in case they show signs of infection, and if they do, they are encouraged to get treatment first.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican made the call yesterday as authorities anticipate a big number of students from abroad coming home for the summer holidays. The star has the story:

Students with the flu urged to stay put

PUTRAJAYA: Health authorities have advised Malaysians studying abroad to delay their return if they show symptoms of influenza.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican made the call as authorities anticipate a big number of students from abroad coming home for the summer holidays.

“I hope those who show flu-like symptoms will immediately go to clinics and hospitals in the countries where they are to get treatment before returning to Malaysia,” he said yesterday.

Dr Ismail said a total of 153 people were currently under home quarantine after coming into contact with five people who have been confirmed to be down with influenza A (H1N1).

Eighty-nine people who were asked to remain at home were those connected to a 23-year-old student who arrived from New York on June 1.

Forty-six people came into contact with two German tourists who flew in from Singapore on June 3 and 13 people were with the 28-year-old student who arrived from New York on Wednesday.

Five people who came into contact with a confirmed case arriving from Melbourne on Friday are also home quarantined.

Dr Ismail said since there were no new cases reported on Saturday, the number of influenza A (H1N1) cases reported in Malaysia remained at seven, with all being “imported cases”.

“The five patients are still under treatment and are recovering well. Their condition is reported to be stable while those under home quarantine are also reported to be well,” he said yesterday.

Have a Heart: Save IJN

Israel’s assault on Gaza, by air, sea and now land, has killed (at the time of this writing) more than 600 Palestinians, with more than 2,700 injured. Ten Israelis have been killed, three of them Israeli soldiers killed by friendly fire. Beyond the deaths and injuries, the people of Gaza are suffering a dire humanitarian crisis that is dismissed by the Israeli government. There is, however, Israeli opposition to the military assault. Read here...

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Parents, guardians, and adults who care for children face constant challenges when trying to help keep children safer in today's fast-paced world.
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Why Hamas is NOT the issue

Mohammed, age six, marched with determination to his bedroom, put on a record of the Fatah marching song, picked up a wooden toy rifle and marched out to the balcony. He pointed the rifle to the sky where minutes ago, Israeli planes flew over dropping bombs on Palestinian refugee sites. Mohammed told me he wanted to be a pilot so he could fight Israeli warplanes. “But Mohammed, the Palestinians do not have planes.” “I don’t care, I will fight them whatever way I can.”Was a resistance fighter born this minute or was he a “future terrorist”? (Beirut 1973)

How does one explain the horrific fate that has befallen caged Gaza – a land saturated with rubble and body parts – carpet-bombed by air, invaded by ground, attacked by sea? Put to the test of history, Israeli “explanations” fail the credibility test. continue here---------------------------------------------Robert Fisk: Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignoredWe've got so used to the carnage of the Middle East that we don't care any more – providing we don't offend the Israelis. It's not clear how many of the Gaza dead are civilians, but the response of the Bush administration, not to mention the pusillanimous reaction of Gordon Brown, reaffirm for Arabs what they have known for decades: however they struggle against their antagonists, the West will take Israel's side. As usual, the bloodbath was the fault of the Arabs – who, as we all know, only understand force. ..Continue here

War on Gaza

Israel's failure to learnBy Nir Rosen (Aljazeera)

When George Bush, the US president, first entered the White House as the commander-in-chief in 2001, Palestinians were being killed in the al-Aqsa intifada.

Eight years later, as Bush prepares to leave office, Israel is carrying out one of the largest massacres in its 60-year occupation of Palestine.

The US, then and now, strongly backs Israel's offensive, justifying it as being, in fact, defensive.To continue read here ...